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PostPosted: March 18th, 2021, 1:16 pm 
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No problem; I wish I could find my maps; I had annotated a topo from our trip 10 years ago; but it has mysteriously disappeared as these things do.

If my memory serves most of this map was pretty accurate. The trails were quite well developed when we were there with the exception of the connection from Toodee into the circuit, and one coming out of Duval heading west.

We did the circuit CCW in 4 days of reasonable travel. 5 or 6 days would allow more downtime for fishing and exploring.

Happy paddling and tight lines; the area is well know for its trout fishing. It is possible to get a grand slam of trout on the trip: Rainbow, Laker, and Brook trout.


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PostPosted: June 22nd, 2021, 5:29 pm 
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Hello All,

I can finally answer the question above about the road in to Toodee lake (Seymour Lake rd). It is 100% a 4x4 road and should not be undertaken by all wheel drive or small 4x4 (ATV excluded of course), meaning no Subaru's, modern day Pathfinders, 4Runners, Rogues, Rav4 etc.. Unless they are pimped out with lift kits, skid plates and good off road rubber. You need a vehicle built for off roading (jeeps, trucks, ATV etc). We went in for 5 days May long weekend and had two full size F150 4x4 built with the above mentioned criteria and we still hit bottom a few times and took a bit of a pounding. Two other vehicles with us were unable to make it and had to turn back (van and car so no surprise there), so we loaded everything into the two trucks and proceeded through. it is 14K, 5K or so of it is pretty smooth and easy, the rest, not so much so. There were a few times we didn't think we would make it through either. Knowing how to pick your line is a must or you will bottom out frequently even with 16" of ground clearance. Boulders, washed out spots, steep ridges and slopes with washed out creeks and blown out culverts are the norm. Make sure your spare tires are good to go, lots of sharp rocks and pointy sticks/stumps to puncture tires with. if you do attempt it, just make sure you are prepared to fix your own vehicle in there, (tools & spare parts) there will be no tow truck or CAA to come assist you or tow you out.

The local is great, I have done a fly in there before to Robb Lake, fishing was good when the weather was nice. Not traveled by many, there were some port signs but the ports were mostly bushwhacking through brush and grass along with some deep mud spots, but overall not too bad for the seclusion you get.

Happy Tripping
Andrew

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PostPosted: June 24th, 2021, 9:54 am 
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I got my AWD Rav4 in there but I will completely agree with what Andrew said...it's a terrible idea and you should not do it.

There are cached boats at the north end of Duval L, suggesting that the road visible on satellite starting from the intersection of hwy 546/639 could be viable. I started up that road many years ago in a minivan but didn't get far before I decided it would be unwise. Could ask the local forest management company for the status if needed.
https://goo.gl/maps/YD4wpam9XdVsUjmy9

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PostPosted: June 24th, 2021, 12:01 pm 
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Jon,

You made it in all 14K in a Rav4? You are my hero my friend, it must have been one hell of a rough ride, when I went in a month ago there was some (or many) spots that there is just no way a Rav4 should have made it in. I had to get out and scout and move big boulders out of the way with a pry bar just to get my F150 through. I am guessing you touched bottom more times than you would like.

As for the other road you mention, we did speak with a MNR ranger and locals we ran into on Seymour and they told us it is worse than Seymour and parts are ATV only. We did not try that route so who knows.

But I am for sure heading back in in the fall regardless.

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PostPosted: June 24th, 2021, 2:38 pm 
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Haha your guess is correct. It was a bit of a white-knuckle ride but this is the power of wanderlust.

Too bad about the other option. This route is going to be fly-in only at this rate.

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PostPosted: June 11th, 2022, 6:40 am 
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Just finished this canoe route yesterday starting from Toodee lake.

For anyone interested there is new active logging on the Seymour road and the road has been completely redone all the way to Toodee lake. We were in a jeep but I could have even done it in my car. They were actively logging so definitely be cautious of logging trucks ripping down the roads.

Good to see that the route should be easily accessible for a while longer anyways.

As for the Duval access we did see a couple of pickups at the launch so clearly someone is driving in. Take that for what it's worth.


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PostPosted: July 8th, 2022, 11:57 am 
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The road is in good shape up to Toodee Lake. No potholes, but lots of chunks of large gravel and rocks. I still wouldn't do this in a Honda Civic, but my Santa Fe was fine. A number of spurs have been cleared and built leading off the main road. There are signs at the Toodee Lake access stating that logging operations are imminent north of Toodee lake. I went in early in the morning on Canada Day, solo, and didn't encounter anyone on the road, but I feel like it could get a little hairy if competing for space on the road with fully-laden logging trucks.

Unfortunately, I had to abandon the counter-clockwise loop on Town Line Lake and backtrack out, because I started feeling quite ill with you-know-what symptoms. I was solo and didn't want to chance fighting it out there on my own. At any rate, the route is now accessible, and still very remote. I didn't see a soul on the route and the ports and campsites don't appear to be used that often.

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PostPosted: September 12th, 2022, 8:04 am 
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Good times, I went through around Victoria day this year. I agree while the road is in great shape, it's not very wide at points and I'm glad those big logging trucks were not running as I was driving through. It's a beautiful route, but the trails are fairly clear and easy to follow. I only went down to Robb Lake then back out. The whole week I only saw some guys at the cabin on Robb. They were very surprised to see a canoe on their lake. There was also a random floatplane parked (with nobody around) on Finn. Otherwise, it's pretty amazing how empty that park is.. and I'm hopeful the new logging road won't bring in the crowds. I'm assuming I was the first one in this year, I spend a bunch of time clearing some deadfall to try and help you later guys out!


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PostPosted: October 24th, 2022, 11:59 am 
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craigatk wrote:
I agree while it's pretty amazing how empty that park is.. and I'm hopeful the new logging road won't bring in the crowds. I'm assuming I was the first one in this year, I spend a bunch of time clearing some deadfall to try and help you later guys out!



I went back in again this year, and yes the road is much better, I could see that some of the hills and valleys were raised up in some cases by 15' or more to level out the road for the trucks. Still some big boulders kicking around though, but passible for sure.
The fear stated in the above quote has become a reality unfortunately. When I rolled in there were RV's parked in the clearing with radios and generators going and more vehicles parked down at the put in. So it will get busy for sure, at least for the next couple years until the loggers are gone and the road falls back into disrepair.

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PostPosted: April 27th, 2023, 7:35 pm 
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Thanks for all the info gang, from the last few posts it sounds like Seymour Rd. into Toodee is good enough for an AWD drive vehicle (RAV4), correct? Any idea when ice-out is expected (was) this year in the Kirkpatrick area? I haven't had any luck with responses from the local camps.


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PostPosted: April 29th, 2023, 12:42 pm 
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Little Stevie B wrote:
Just finished this canoe route yesterday starting from Toodee lake.

As for the Duval access we did see a couple of pickups at the launch so clearly someone is driving in. Take that for what it's worth.


I'm wondering if anyone can point me to where the Duval access is? Looking at satellite views doesn't show an obvious (at least to me) landing/access point where trucks would be visible from the water.

I'm also wondering if anyone can give any hints regarding the portages from Toodee Lake into the loop. The Kevin Callan map shows only one, but looking at satellite views it looks like there might be more involved from Toodee south towards Finn.


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PostPosted: April 29th, 2023, 8:57 pm 
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The trucks I saw on Duval were parked at the beach on the north end of the lake. I have no idea on how they got there or what road the road conditions are like.

As for the portages out of Toodee, when I did it last year we paddled to the far east end of the lake and did the first portage. From there we turned south and you hop across a few ponds until you enter the loop. The Kevin Callen book only shows the last portage that brings you into the loop but the others are where you would expect.


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PostPosted: April 30th, 2023, 8:48 am 
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Hey Brad,

Just sent you a PM.

Steve

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PostPosted: April 30th, 2023, 6:45 pm 
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Little Stevie B wrote:
The trucks I saw on Duval were parked at the beach on the north end of the lake. I have no idea on how they got there or what road the road conditions are like.


So strange. The satellite pics show the road clearly, but it must be some small path to the beach for trucks to drive down.


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PostPosted: August 14th, 2023, 5:06 pm 
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So I accessed this loop in the past week via the road that leads into Duval Lake, north of the town of Elliot Lake. The gravel road is around 30 km long, and in good condition for about the first half. (i.e. Just about any vehicle could drive up it.) The second half gets a bit worse with bigger rocks and a bit more hilly and bushy, but most AWD or 4WD vehicles with decent clearance and good tires should be okay until the last 500 meters or so. The last 500 meters to the beach at the north end of Duval Lake is a bit iffy, but still most vehicles that have good clearance and AWD/4WD and good tires would probably be okay. I was in a Subaru with 9" clearance and was wondering if I'd make it out from the beach to the road for the week or so that I was on the loop, but it was okay getting out.

If you take this route in, you might consider parking on the road before the beach access, and portage in the 500 m or so to the beach.

I've included a file here of the GPS tracks of the portages I took. Most of the portages are marked, but some only with ribbon/not portage signs. And most of them are in passable condition with trails that can be seen. It's a portage-heavy route, and some of the portages are hilly. It's not super-easy, and I wouldn't recommend the route to someone who hasn't been on at least a few "lost canoe route" kind of routes in the past.

Here are some general comments about the portages leading out of Duval, going anti-clockwise:

Duval to first pond: Not marked with a sign. Decent portage that goes up a hill and back and forth across a small stream a few times, but you shouldn't get wet feet here in the summer. In the last 100 meters or so there's a swamp to walk/wade through just below a beaver dam... possibly might as well just put in at the beaver dam if you can, since you'll just walk through the swamp then end up on the same little pond anyway.

Pond to pond after Duval: Not marked with a sign. Uphill at start, good portage but gets kind of confusing in the middle. Another poster here had mentioned a "clear cut." It doesn't look a lot like a clear cut in 2023, but there are a few different trails in this portion, and at one point I "lost" my gear after carrying too far ahead with the canoe (was double carrying). It might be a good idea to keep your gear close so you don't end up on the wrong trail when you're on your way back to get your other stuff. There are a couple "swampy" sections to walk through, and it's kind of strange at the west end, where you have to go up some rocks to get to the pond.

Pond to "Crazy" Lake: Good portage, but it's difficult to get to since there's a swamp in the way on the east side. Portage sign is hard to see from the water.

"Crazy" Lake to Pointer Lake: Marked with a portage sign, but it's way in the distance and not possible to see from the water. Twisty and hilly portage that has a big dried-up swamp to walk over before you can actually tell you're on the portage. Fairly steep downhill at the Pointer Lake side.

Pointer Lake to West Little White River: Good portage, marked with a sign.

West Little White River to Finn Lake: Good portage, marked with sign.

Finn Lake to Town Line Lake: Marked with a sign. Up and down hills at start, then walk-along-the-side-of-a-swamp for a while. After that it's a good portage, but long.

Town Line Lake to Robb Lake: Good portage that starts on what looks like a campsite on the south end of Town Line Lake. It's just long.

Robb Lake to Kirkpatrick Lake: Here's where I had a heck of time. Others may have watched the Jonathan Kelly Video of the route where there's confusion here, and may have read other accounts. I decided to try the "snowmobile" trail out the east side of Robb Lake, but it was pretty awful. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, but that being said, I don't REALLY know how bad the south routes through Elbow or on the 3000 m link direct from Robb to Kirkpatrick are. If someone does these sometime and has GPS of them and can comment on them, I'd love to know. Anyway, there is an actual portage sign out the east end of Robb, but whatever sadist put it there is... So it starts up a dried-up creek bed full of iffy rocks, up to the pond. Across the pond is a kind-of snow machine trail that goes up the hill, but this trail hasn't been used in years and years by snow machines. Once up the hill, the trail veers a bit right, then starts going downhill. Here is where the trail ends, and it's bush-whacking the entire way to Kirkpatrick. That portion of the portage (pond to Kirkpatrick) took me 2.5 hours, and I was cautious about losing track of my stuff as a leap-frogged canoe and gear. So it's passable, but miserable.

Kirkpatrick to Bluebird: Signed portage that is mostly passable, but gets a bit confusing about 80% of the way through when the trail leaves the woods and goes over bedrock. Then follow the left side of a dried-up-swamp for a while, then uphill at the end of the swamp (left side) to Bluebird Lake. Jonathan Kelly talks about a difficult climb on this portage- the east end is where the difficult climb is, just before Bluebird.

Bluebird to Big Horseshoe: Good portage, not signed at Bluebird end, but flagged. Good until the Big Horseshoe end, where there's a kind of mini-Diablo portage down into Big Horseshoe. I had to triple-carry here, and the boat mostly slid down the hill.

Big Horseshoe to Duval: There are a couple options here, I took the single-portage option. It wasn't signed, but obvious due to cached boats. The portage was fine, but as others have mentioned, it's a swamp on the east end and a bit difficult to load, launch, and paddle canoes for a bit until you're in the deeper water of Duval.

Hope this helps!

The file should be below, but here's a link to it in Google Drive too: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TLKdq_8LbgefFJJ9xxUMB5VwO8o7Irg6/view?usp=sharing


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